#304 dastard

dastard- archaic- a contemptible sneaking coward

C15 probably from Old Norse daestr exhausted, out of breath

dastardly- mean and cowardly

The following story is strictly true; and true it is that the country-people rose, to a man, at this dastard cruelty, and did what the Government failed to do.

Companion site: quoteflections- a regular, eclectic mind fix

Tags: word of the day, best words, etymology, spelling, vital, useful, expressive, emotional, strategic, onomatopoeic, connotation, how to, English usage, language, learning, mnemonic devices, vocabulary, quoteflections, quotation, quotes